A storm during a ride on the famous Ferris wheel. The attraction was falling apart before the eyes of tourists
When the wagon was at the top, the wind tore off the escape hatch on the roof. One of the passengers prayed for survival.
The London Eye is one of the greatest attractions of the English metropolis with a population of 9 million. Despite the relatively high ticket prices, there are always long queues of people waiting to board the ride on the south bank of the Thames. The passengers of the Ferris wheel, who rode the cart to a height of 135 meters on Tuesday, will certainly remember this day for a long time. Due to the forecasted storms, a part of the wheel was destroyed.
The escape hatch was torn off by gusty winds
According to the BBC, one of the passengers decided to share with the media the terrifying experience of Tuesday’s ride on the London Eye. The man heard about the forecasted storm Henk and strong winds, but, confident of the safety of the structure, he decided to buy a ticket. When he and other passengers were in a Ferris wheel car suspended over 100 meters above the ground, he began to clearly feel gusts of wind. “There was an escape hatch on the roof of the capsule, which at one point made a huge, creaking noise and was torn off,” he said. The capsule stopped for a few minutes, and the people locked in it were afraid that it, like the hatch, would be torn off by the wind.
The tourists trapped in the car were terrified. According to the man, one of his companions began to pray for survival. They also decided to press the emergency button, which notified staff of the danger. “We were really in the eye of the storm there. It was a shocking experience,” we read.
The owner of the attraction comments
The Ferris wheel capsule landed safely on the ground, and the entire London Eye was temporarily closed so that the services could check the reported irregularities. The company managing the London attraction also commented on the matter. “Due to a technical issue, our team of experts immediately ensured guests disembarked safely and then carried out further stringent checks before the attraction reopened this evening. We can confirm that no part of the capsule separated from the main structure and that no guests were injured,” the statement said.
